In the Dark

By: Chris Patchell

Narrated by: Lisa Stathoplos, Corey Gagne

Length: 14 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Marissa Rooney stands in her daughter's empty dorm room, a half-used vial of insulin clutched in her trembling hand. Brooke has been missing for days. Her roommate hasn't seen her since that night in the bar. And if Marissa has Brooke's insulin, it means that Brooke does not.

But Marissa isn't alone in her terror. A phantom from her past is lurking in the shadows, waiting in the night, and holding her family captive...in the dark.

©2015 Chris Patchell (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An edge-of-your-seat suspense novel. It scared the hell out of me. Read it with the lights on!" (Robert Dugoni, Amazon number one and New York Times best-selling author of My Sister's Grave)

Entertaining...

I've listened to the first two books in the Holt series. The author has talent and I think many readers will love this series. I found the narration average and perhaps would have preferred a single narrator better. Both narrators read with emotion, inflection and tone pitch variations which are required for the listen to be enjoyable in my opinion. However, I didn't feel like the story was enhanced by the narrators which led to my average rating. I would recommend listening to the books in order. I like dark, gritty plots, so believe me when I say that I classify the series on the cozier side than the dark side of things. The profanity and sex are limited. I rated the story as 4 stars because it is very wordy and could benefit from tighter writing. Some of the scenes borderline on boring and predictable which ultimately detract from what would otherwise be a suspenseful plot.

Awesome

Brooke has been missing and Marissa has her insulin. This is not a good sign. Brooke has been missing for a few days and no one has any knowledge of her whereabouts. The narrator was very easy to listen to and put the emphasis on certain parts when necessary. I will certainly listen to it again.

Read it with the lights on? Yes!

In the Dark by: Chris Patchell is book 1 of 2 and is loaded with action and suspense, dark and twisted. A page turner that keeps you engaged and on the edge of your seat. Dual narration by Lisa Stathoplos, Corey Gagne was flawless. Recommended

Narrators did the book good justice!

This was my first Chris Patchell book. I really enjoy her writing. I really felt for Marissa Rooney. She’s just having a horrible time of it all. I really enjoyed the characters and even though there was quite a few people going on, I was never overwhelmed with them. They are just so developed that you know who is who. Marissa is frantic when her oldest daughter who is diabetic, goes missing. It’s a great story and I love the foundation aspect of it. I don’t want to get into all the story but it’s an interesting one!

I feel like there were some things missing. Like there was something Marissa’s ex was suppose to tell her youngest daughter about them splitting up and the real reason behind the split. This doesn’t come up or come out in this book or the next book for that matter. It’s nothing big in the story but it’s a missing piece that once it has been brought up, is driving me crazy. I don’t know, maybe there will be a third book? There was also some parts that didn’t seem exactly accurate or right when mixed with law enforcement.

In the Dark was performed by dual narrators. Lisa Stathoplos and Corey Gagne are the narrators, respectively. I thought they did a fantastic job! They were so clear, so concise, the performance was really good. I enjoyed the infliction and tones they took on when needed. You could feel Marissa’s fear and anger at times through Lisa’s voice. They did the book good justice!

Couldn't put it down!

Single parent Marissa Rooney finds out that her oldest daughter is missing after a Saturday night out. The police doesn't give importance to the disappearance, since Brooke is young, and it wouldn't be the first time a young girl goes missing and just comes back home a couple of days later. But Brooke is diabetic, and she has limited insulin with her. Marissa will try to do the impossible to find her daughter, and while looking for her, she discovers that there is another girl missing.

This book got me hooked from the start, I quickly got absorbed by the story and couldn't stop listening. The book is over 14 hours and it took me less than two days listening to it. The story is intriguing, well paced and with several twists that got me guessing again and again. At some point it was clear who was the abductor, but did not decrease my interest, since I really wished that person was caught in the act.

The characters were not fully developed, but they felt real, and it was easy to connect to them. The subject of abductions is something that attracts me and horrifies me at the same time. It's like the moth drawn to a flame.

I want to mention two little things that prevented me from rating this as a five-star book. First, the way Elizabeth contacts Marissa and why she hires her feels completely unrealistic. It would be nice if something like that were true, but it seems just taken out of a fairy tale. Second, the romance. What woman in her mind starts a romance just after her daughter has disappeared and could be dying? and with the detective in charge of the case, non the less. I think romance would be the furthest thing on my mind in that situation.

I really enjoyed the narration, even though I don't see the need for a dual narration. Both Lisa Stathoplos and Corey Gagne did a wonderful job, delivering a clear narration, great character's interpretations, and different voices for all the characters. I noticed a couple of audio edits on Gagne's audio, and I enjoyed Stathoplos' parts a little bit more. I think she has a very ample voice range and excellent interpretation skills.

I'm so looking forward to the next book. This is not a genre a I usually listen to, but when I find great thrillers like this one, I just can't get enough.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Chris Patchell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

well worth it

Great book, living in the city where this took place was great. on to the next one

The strongest enemy: Time

“In The Dark” has kept me reading and reading (sorry, “listening and listening”) until late in the night. It is a great story that combines family, romance and … kidnaping in a beautiful way. The author has a way of attracting the reader with how she builds the phrases and how each chapter is structured.

When Marissa’s daughter goes missing, she knows something is not right. As a mother, she has done so much to keep her family intact and in the process, has made some mistakes as well. But we are all human, aren’t we? She finds an ally in Seth Crawford, a man with his own issues, but willing to hear her story and investigate a possible abduction. When this becomes clear, they start a battle against a kidnaper and time. At some point, the story becomes more about the second aspect and that surprised me in a good way.

I loved Marissa’s character. She is a woman who’s been tried by life and had to make the best she could for her children. She is not perfect, she is not necessarily strong and in a fight that seems unbearable, she finds strength in Seth. She was the highlight of this book. The other characters are great as well, don’t get me wrong! Chris Patchell has a great way with words, in creating vivid descriptions, tension building and emotions. So all is well here!

The narration was not bad, even if I think the narrators could have taken more advantage of the emotions the characters had. But it was a clear reading, at the right pace. Good, but could have been a little bit better. Also, I think the romance could have been started a bit later in the book.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable audiobook that captured my attention. Can’t wait for the second book in the series J Happy Reading! Sorry, Happy Listening!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Chris Patchell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

GET THIS BOOK!!

This book put me on the edge of my seat, it is really that good! This is a suspenseful and believable story with likable characters.
There are other reviews and a synopsis to fill in the storyline so I won't do that.
What I will say is that although the kidnapper/killer is revealed pretty early on in the book it the it's not the finding out who it is but how and when he will be caught and by who.
I really really enjoyed this author's writing style. You can feel the mother's angst over her missing daughter and the lead detective 's frustration and anxiety while trying to find her. The detective has a story woven through of his own. The kidnapper's life is slowly revealed. His struggle to get from the wrong side of the tracks to his acceptance into high society and what he's had to do to get there (and it ain't pretty).
The narrating duo of Lisa Stathoplos and Corey Gagne do an outstanding job narrating.
This is book one in the Holt Foundation series. The next book on my reading list is book two.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.
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Thank You.

Extreme suspense!

In the Dark is the first novel in The Holt Foundation Stories series. This is a must listen audio book for those who like suspense mystery/thrillers. The publisher's summary gives far too little information, but prior reviews fill in the blanks. The Holt Foundation was started by a woman dying of lung cancer. Marissa Rooney's older college age daughter is missing when she is hired as an investigator for the Holt Foundation. Marissa is the protagonist. The antagonist is as evil as one can imagine. Narration is superb.

In the dark

The author has done her research of Seattle and the surrounding cities well and is able to capture t Seattle, it's traffic, and the underlying tone of the lesser known areas . The story line is very believable